


Before the Clock Resets

by samiraxlula



Series: Life is Like an Hourglass [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Detective Comics (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Bruce Wayne Whump, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, I'm Batman Logic, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24590068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samiraxlula/pseuds/samiraxlula
Summary: Wrapping his arms together firmly above the man's collar bone in a piggyback, Jason tightened somewhat, almost as if he was testing the idea of strangulation to Bruce’s unknowing.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: Life is Like an Hourglass [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723129
Comments: 9
Kudos: 224





	Before the Clock Resets

Bruce Wayne wakes to the small sliver of sun that leaks into his bedroom, painting the picture of a man with purple tainted ribs, dried cuts on the skin and a bandaged-wrapped head.

Despite feeling like coming to was akin to swimming upstream against a current, bogged down in particular by pain medication and a concussion he knew he received, there was never any slow warming up or sleepiness when he awoke. He was simply conscious again and feeding back into all his senses. 

His brain felt like a depleted battery, the exertions of the night and the marathon of erratic problem-solving contributing to his growing headache as he shifted underneath the covers with a rustle of fabric.

The sound of soft breathing made him turn his head towards the sight of a child slumped over in an armchair next to the bed, face red and puffy from obvious crying.

While Bruce didn't remember much of the conversation he and Jason had the other night, he did remember the boy crying and wishing that he could do something to comfort him before losing the battle against sleep.

Jason was most likely awake all night as well, judging by how exhausted the child looked atop of it all. It made the Dark Knight's heart ache in a certain way that bothered him more than his head pounding, pushing himself up to gather Jason from the chair and settle the boy more comfortably in the bed.

It was concerning how easy he was to hold with how small he still was. 

While he and Alfred had discussed implementing a diet plan at length with Leslie, Jason was still dangerously undernourished despite having managed to gain some weight back. It would take time to get him to a comfortable enough place in his age-range but Leslie had warned them that Jason would most likely not reach the same height as his peers as an adult.

He couldn't stop wishing that he could do so much more for both Jason and all the other children of Gotham.

Jason's sleeping calm breaths could be felt on his side through his white t-shirt as he raked his hand through his child's dark curls before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Bruce genuinely wondered at times what he had done to deserve having Jason as his son. It seemed no matter what the kid did, he always either had Bruce leaving with a smile and perhaps a shake of his head or had him wrapped around his finger in constant worry.

In that very moment of the quiet sleepy morning, it seemed especially true: a son is not always born of his father.

*

"B?" 

Jason starts to wipe the sleep from his eyes, rousing to a more awake state to find himself no longer on the chair with a cricked neck but comfortably settled into Bruce's bed underneath the soft blankets.

A hand brushes his hair back before Bruce's rumbling tones assure him, "I'm here, Jay."

Though his tears could never have extinguished the effects of his seemingly endless trauma, maybe they could help him get to a place where all that pain became distant enough from recent memory.

He had emotions like anyone else, even if he pretended to be indifferent to suffering and sorrow, but the size of both his emotions and heart were more overwhelming than most. As he was now, Jason was still far too fearful to wear his heart on his sleeve like his younger self was more open in doing and become vulnerable like he was every time someone sold him out or looked at him bleeding out coldly.

But he could try one more time...

"You okay?" Jason asked quietly.

"I'm alright." Bruce made a soft sound that sounded like a fond laugh when he was cut off by the sound of insistent grumbling from Jason's stomach.

"Hungry, chum?"

Jason paused for a moment before nodding.

"Here," Bruce pushed the covers back before getting down and out of bed and dropping onto one knee. "I'll carry you." 

Jason gives him an incredulous look. "You have a concussion, old man."

"I'm Batman." Bruce speaks flatly, as if that was the answer to all unexplainable mysteries about him.

It's a little bit clumsy — Jason might be small and skinny for an eleven-year-old, but somehow he's still all elbows and knees in embarrassment, face becoming a dusted pink colour as he draped his arms neatly over Bruce's shoulders, clasping them together firmly above the man's collar bone as Bruce took a moment to make sure he was holding onto his legs securely before standing up from his seated position if somewhat shakily.

Wrapping his arms around Bruce’s neck from the piggyback, Jason tightened somewhat, almost as if he was testing the idea of strangulation to Bruce’s unknowing before he loosened his arms to press his face into his dad’s back.

_I think I can forgive you._

**Author's Note:**

> I think the important thing here to note is that even though we may forgive a person who has hurt us and caused us tremendous pain, those feelings of hurt and anger never fully leave us and end up becoming a part of the person we grow into.


End file.
